One man's groove is another man's rut...well, sort of. The term rut is hard to define and, even when defined, the term is hard to distinguish from other lesser or greater terms of the same nature. What is a groove and what is a rut? Or in worse case scenarios, what is a chasm, what is an abyss? Maybe our situation is not that dramatic but it could become that especially if we find ourselves at a … [Read more...]
Mandolin: A Prospector’s Dream
In a local cafe at mid-afternoon, unsuspecting ears suddenly perk up and heads turn towards a mandolin's chime. The sound commands attention. Perhaps this is due to its clarity or maybe because of the novelty of its sound, but whatever the root cause, the initial call of the mandolin unmistakeably piques the ear's curiosity. Continuing with a comfortable command of the instrument and a good … [Read more...]
About Chords for the Mandolin
Mandolin has a pitch range that starts from G below middle C and spans 3 octaves or more. It's short string length means a person's hands can spread over more frets than larger instruments. Moving up the neck, the player will notice a greater ease of reach counteracted by cramped spaces, crowding fingers into miniature shapes to play chords that are easier down low on the neck. This necessitates … [Read more...]
Fitting Into the Big Picture
The mandolin, as well as members of the mandolin family and many instruments that use the same tuning, offers a wide range of musical options. When compared to other instruments, the mandolin tends to focus its output more tightly or, perhaps better said, less broadly than some familiar and popular instruments such as piano or guitar. Is this a weakness in the mandolin's part? Not really. When … [Read more...]
Density/Expansivity in Music
Sound can be dense or expansive, relatively speaking. In fact, any element of sound or of music can have its own density/expansivity attributes that contribute to the overall density/expansivity of a sound, of a piece or music, of an ensemble, or any element of music or sound. This will be referred to as the Density/Expansivity Factor or D-E Factor. Every musical instrument has it's own D-E … [Read more...]
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